maolachlan



Sept. 6, 1932. J, MacLAcHLAN 1,875,321

ADVERTISING CARD DISPLAY DEVICE Filed Dec. 15, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet l 3nnentor 35 Y iii/4440mm Sept- 6, 1932. MaCLACHLAN 1,875,321

ADVERTISING CARD DISPLAY DEVICE Filed Dec. 15, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Sept. 6, 1932 UNITED STATES JOHN D. MAcLACI-ILAN, or KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, Assienon 'ro MAC An COMPANI-f or KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION or MISSOURI ADVERTISING CARD DISPLAY DEVICE Application filed December 15, 1930. Serial No. 502,419.

This invention relates to electrically operated display advertising devices, and more especially to devices of that class for $110- cessively disposing the front face of each card of a series bearing advertising matter, in a display position and at the same time disposing the rear face of the preceding card in a cooperating display position so that the matter simultaneously displayed by two cards may constitute a single advertisement.

The object of the invention is to produce a device of the character mentioned which is not only eflicient and dependable in operation, but will operate on any voltage and at exceedingly low cost for electric current.

Another object is to produce a device which will, for a long period'of time, require no attention other than that necessary to remove an advertising card or cards and make replacement with another card or cards bearing a different message or announcement.

A still further object is to produce a device which can be adjusted quickly and easily for card operation at different speeds and card display for ,difierent periods of time and which is practically noiseless in operation at any speed.

With these general objects named in View and others as will hereinafter appear, the invention consists in certain novel and useful features of construction and organization of parts as hereinafter described and claimed; and in order that it may be fully understood, reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in which v Figure 1 is a front view, partly broken away and partly in section, of a display advertising device embodying theinvention.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary plan view with the top of the casing omitted.

Figure 3 is a side view of the rear side of the casing and some of the cards omitted and with the rotary card carrier broken away.

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view of a solenoid forminga part of the device.

Figure 5 is a magnified cross section of the solenoid on the line VV of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a sectional view on the same scale as Figure 5, taken on the 1ineVI-VI of Figure 1.

Figure7 is a detail view of the snapswitch 'forming a part of the device.

Figure 8 is a perspective view on a small or reduced scale of one of the advertising cards of the device. v

Referring now to the drawings in detail, 1 is a casing open at its front side and provided at the top of said side with-a'depending molding stop strip 2 and one or more arresting pins 2a depending from said strip.

The casing also is provided with a reflector 8 extending across the open side near the bottom thereof, and containing one or more incandescent lamps 4 for the illumination of p the cards hereinafter identified, as they are brought to display position;

Adjacent the front opening and approximately midway the heighth of the casing, is a rotary card carrier, comprising a suitablyjournaled transverse shaft 5, a pair of disks 6 and a ratchet wheel? rigid with the shaft, each disk having a circular series of slots 6a and the ratchet wheel a corresponding numher of teeth, and engaging said wheel under is held against reverse turning movement by the dog 9. V V

The rear end of the lever 11 has a slidable and pivotal connection at 13 with one arm of a bell-crank lever lIIlOHIltGCltO rock parallel with the back of the casing, and the, free end of the other arm of the bell-crank has a pin and slot connection at 15, with the stem 16 of the core 17 ofa solenoid 18, dis-. posed horizontally upon the bottom of the casing in the. vertical plane of the bell-crank lever movement.

' The solenoid has a tubular brass lining 19 of greater diameter than, and fitting looselyaround the core, and mounted on said lining connection of and between the levers.

'endandthe result is that the bell-crank lever moves enough to insure the full operation of the snap-switch, hereinafter referred to, should it, for any reason fail to snap auto-'- matically after being operated a distance ordinarily sufiicient for that result to follow. it is desirable to employ a solenoid ofthe character described, as it not only insures f-u-ll operation of the switch, but also insures a full step movement of the carrier regardless of lost motion in the points of pivotgl t will be understood, of course, that any solenoid or its equivalent, capable of insuring the full operation of the switch may be em- E ployed, the one described being preferred because it has been-thoroughly tested and found solenoid, the latter has a brass extension or barrel 22 provided with a head 23, and with an exit 24 for air, communicating with a casing 25 controlled by a valve 26, the core stem havinga .piston27 within the barrel, the latterjin conjunction with the valve-controlled 5 exit and piston constituting a dash pot, it being noted that the piston is provided with peripheral grooves to contain grease which Will provide for lubrication without replenishment for a long period of time.

The barrel 22 has an internal shoulder 28 engaged by one end of-a spiral spring 29 within the solenoidand a second barrel extension 30 thereof, and bearing at its opposite end has a head 32 having an opening 33 controlled by a valve 34, and the piston 31 serves iii-conjunction with the barrel 30 and valvecontrolled head31, as a dash pot for cushion- .ing'the spring-effected or reverse action of the core,and the parts operatively connected thereto, said piston 31 like the piston 27 having peripheral grease-retaining grooves for lubrication purposes.

The head 23 of the barrel 22, provides a support and guide for the core stem 16, and is equipped with a packing gland 35 to pre- .vent leakage of air around said stem, it being understood that the valve-controlled openings of the barrels admit air to the latter 'upon the appropriate piston movements.

Advertising cards 36 equal in number to the number of teeth of the ratchet wheel, comprise duplicate sections fitted flatly together and held permanently in such relation by thin tin or equivalent channel strips 37 clamped upon the outer longitudinal edges of the sections, and similar channel strips 38 clamped upon the end edges of the sections, the channel strips 38 having alined flat arms 39 at the inner corners of the cards to engage opposite pairs of slots 6a of the. disks of the carrier, the slots providing for quick and easy application of the cards in or for their removal from position through the front'opening as the cards successively clear the pins 2a and start to swingdownward to pen dent position through the front opening of the casing. The slots also permit the cards to travel upwardly in a casing of relatively shallow depth from front to rear, as in such travel the cards stand in a downwardly and rearwardly sloping position until their respective trunnions have attained an elevation near the plane of the top of the disks, the slots also making it possible to mount a greater number of cards on the'carrier than would be possible if the pivotal point of the cards were fixed and also permittingthe lower edge of the upstanding front card to abut the upper edge of the foremost pendent card. The features of advantage due to the use of the curved slots and flat trunnions are explained and claimed in my application for; patent filed July 9, 1930, Ser. No. 466,67 6, and it is believed that the reference herein made is sufficient to indicate that each step imparted to the carrier through the energization of the solenoid, is attended by the simultaneous display of the front side of the foremost upstanding card and that face of the foremost pendent card which was hidden when saidcard occupiel an upstanding position at the front side of the casing.

The switch 40 may be of any conventional snap-switch type, preferably of that type, which, when operated to a certain degree, will continue such operation with a snap and either make or break a circuit which includes thesolenoid, and then leads to one binding post 42 of the switch, the other line wire being connected by a conductor 43 to the other binding post 44 of the switch. The latter, as shownhas anoscillatory member 45 operatively engaging a rock arm 4 for permanent ly engaging one contact of the switch. Operation of the member 45 in one direction causes the arm 46 to electrically connect the two contacts 4748, and in the other directionto break such electrical connection. To .operate the oscillatory member, it is provided with a crank-arm 49 pivotally engaged by a link 50 having a pin-and-slot connection 51 with the bell-crank lever, the engagement being such that downward movement of the upper arm 14a of the lever effected by the spring 29, effects turning movement of switch member 45 until the snap-action occurs and thus completes the circuit as explained, the lever 11 being moved at the same time to dispose the pawl 10 in position to impart a step movement to the carrier.

The energization of the solenoid efi'ects right-hand movement of the core and the latter causes the bell-crank lever to operate the lever 11 to turn the carrier and thereby change the display by pulling the foremost upstanding card below the plane of pins 2a, so that it shall swing downwardly and forwardly to pendent position mentioned and be replaced in its upstanding position by the next upstanding card, the original rear side of the first card and the front side of the replacement card being exposed to view through the open front side of the casing so that any advertising matter thereon shall be exposed to view. The operation of the bellcrank causes the link to rock member 45 and thus again break the circuit through the solenoid and permit the spring 29 to again function as explained, and each succeeding operation is a repetition of those described.

From the above description, it will be apparent that while I have described and claimed the preferred embodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that I reserve the right to make all change falling within the spirit of the invention and without the ambit of the prior art.

I claim In an advertising device, a casing having an open front side, a horizontal transverse rotary carrier journaled in the casing, cards movable with and pivotally mounted at their inner corners on the carrier and adapted for independent pivotal movement from an upwardly-projecting position visible at the same side of the casing, a ratchet wheel rotatable with the carrier, a pawl to turn and a dog to prevent reverse turning movement of the ratchet wheel, a lever carrying the pawl, a bell-crank lever for operating the pawlcarrying lever, electrically-operated means for operating the bell-crank lever in one direction, an electric snap switch for making and breaking a circuit through said electrically operated means, a link establishing a pivotal pin-and-slot connection between the bell-crank lever and the switch, and means for reversing the movement of the bell-crank lever when the circuit through the electrically operated means is broken through operation of the snap-switch.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

JOHN D. MACLAOHLAN. 

